Tag: Washington DC

One of my favorite things to do, as we all know, is to take solo trips to places and just spend days taking pictures and eating good food. It’s not fancy, it doesn’t have to be expensive, and I can go at my own pace and do whatever it is I want. I mention this again because I got my friend Melissa into the grind! We went to Old Town Alexandria in D.C. and took a day to just take our time and really enjoy ourselves looking like tourists despite having lived in the general area for awhile. I’m pretty sure at some point she said, and I quote,

“OMG Meg your lifestyle is insane I love it you’re the bestestst you’re so talented.”

This is 100% a real quote.

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to look like an idiot. It’s worth it.

Here are some of my personal favorites from the trip! Lots of pictures, not a whole lot of narrative for this post. But as a general sum-up, here is a printable map of the city taken from their website: MAP

The thing about Old Town is the fact that it’s super duper old, and that it’s also right next to the Vienna/Alexandria Metro station in D.C. so it’s easy to park here, wander around and then take the train into D.C. If you haven’t been, I would deff recommend a day trip. The majority of the city is oriented around Kings Street, where there are a bunch of shops and restaurants. This leads straight to the water which is a whole other thing. Along the water there are trails and art studios. there are museums and historic houses along the way, but in all honesty I haven’t been in any. I have too good a time wandering around the city and popping into the shops. There are some really pretty vistas near the courthouse closer to the water.

Old town has this sort of aura of being scholastic and classic without trying. Think old money Washington, D.C. You walk around, and you find yourself unconsciously slipping into this casual saunter with nowhere really to be as you walk by in your tall leather boots and peacoat, coffee and camera in hand. The crunch of the leaves on the street contrast with the slow drip of traffic from the street and you are glad you found free parking. You smile and wave to the driver of the Audi as you cross the street and follow the flow of people to the pubs and restaurants. You pass by the hub-ub of Kings street and find a nice side street and find a Vietnamese restaurant called Bahn Ami. Inside the flooring is hardwood and management only accepts one credit card per table. Tea is unlimited for 3 dollars. You don’t know what kind of tea it is, but it is good, and you have two cups. Also, they know how to marinade their pork chops. You don’t know how they do it, but they do it well.

Old town is one of those places that I find myself returning to, and I really don’t mind it at all. I’ll probably go back soon. It’s all very romantic, to be honest. Like the whole old town area has this sort of romance to it. The rest of Alexandria is meh and is an apartment complex disaster, but this part? this part is nice.